Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 13-08-22

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] ECB official praises efforts and sacrifices of Greek government and people

[02] PM Samaras meets with ECB's Asmoussen

[03] July's Eurogroup did not discuss possibility of new aid to Greece, spokesperson says

[04] FM Venizelos pleased with outcome of EU meeting on Egypt

[05] DIMAR calls on government to take initiatives for stabilisation of economy and growth

[06] Ministerial meeting next Monday to look into island power interconnection projects

[07] Mitsotakis stresses need for standing mobility scheme ?

[08] Serbian president extols Greek-Serbian relations

[09] Greek Public Television's first live news programme on air

[10] Schools must not become grounds for exercising politics, gov't spokesman says

[11] KKE party expresses grave concern over developments in Permet, Albania

[12] Greek people must reject capitalist choices, KKE says

[13] Seven Turkish aircraft intercepted

[14] FinMin meets with ministers in light of troika arrival and Thessaloniki Fair

[15] FinMin shuts down 14 island tax offices in consolidation move

[16] Travel balance records a surplus in Jan.-June

[17] Tax office blocks City of Thessaloniki bank accounts

[18] Greek stocks gain 0.85 pct on Wednesday

[19] ADEX closing report

[20] Athens Municipality campaign to smarten central streets

[21] Samos island festival revives ancient women's events in honour of Hera

[22] Police sweep at National Polytechnic University results in detention of six

[23] Three arrested after Athens Polytechnic events

[24] Nine more archaeological sites and museums will celebrate the full moon of August

[25] Wildfire in Pentalofo, Mesolonghi under partial control

[26] Young Briton arrested for trafficking 'magic mushrooms'

[27] Fire high alert issued for Thursday

[28] Main road to Elafonissi beach to close on Thursday

[29] Cloudy, rainy on Thursday

[30] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance Politics

[01] ECB official praises efforts and sacrifices of Greek government and people

Asmussen said there are already results that show the Greek economy has stabilised, while the Greek banking system is now recapitalised. He spoke of a painful effort and expressed his respect for the efforts of the Greek people.

He also said that the reforms must be continued and he placed emphasis on efforts to fight unemployment, particularly among young people, and to achieve growth rates.

Asked about a possible new "haircut" for the Greek debt, as well as the possibility of a new fiscal programme for Greece, he referred to the decision taken by the Eurogroup last November which stated explicitly that if a primary surplus is achieved, measures will be examined for further debt reduction.

He added that whatever discussions will not begin before the spring of 2014, when the data on the Greek economy for 2013 comes in.

Asmussen is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras at 4.30 pm at the government headquarters of Maximos Mansion.

His visit comes ahead of a review in September by Greece's troika of lenders that include the ECB, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund.

[02] PM Samaras meets with ECB's Asmoussen

The meeting was held at the Government Building (Maximos Mansion) and was also attended by Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras.

Asmussen is on Thursday morning (10:30) scheduled to meet with government vice president and Foreign minister Evangelos Venizelos.

[03] July's Eurogroup did not discuss possibility of new aid to Greece, spokesperson says

European finance ministers did not raise the issue of a new aid package to Greece in their monthly July meeting (Eurogroup), European Commission spokesperson Chantal Hughes said in Brussels on Wednesday.

The spokesperson was asked to respond to statements by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble who said on Tuesday that Greece would need a third aid package past 2014. She said that the Greek fiscal adjustment programme was proceeding effectively and the next the next important step for Greece is the review by the troika of lenders in September.

Commenting on statements by Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn, she said that he was referring to various options available, including that of extending the loan maturity dates.

[04] FM Venizelos pleased with outcome of EU meeting on Egypt

Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday evening said he was pleased with the outcome of a meeting here of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council on Egypt, underlining that Greece could promote its own initiatives on the issue.

After a substantial and critical discussion, Venizelos said, "the text of the conclusions reflects a creative and positive European position, which can contribute to overcoming the crisis and achieving a peaceful diffusion of the situation in Egypt as a key country in the region, as well as many major open international issues."

Venizelos added that the conclusions reached by the Council allowed Greece to promote its own initiatives on the issue in cooperation with other countries, stressing the added importance of this to Greece owing to the Greek community in Egypt and Alexandria's Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

[05] DIMAR calls on government to take initiatives for stabilisation of economy and growth

In an announcement, the party said that the discussion on the sustainability of the Greek debt and the possible fiscal vacuum has opened and the possibility of new burdensome measures being taken for society must be ruled out.

[06] Ministerial meeting next Monday to look into island power interconnection projects

Specifically, the options will be examined in depth during a meeting to be held on Monday, August 26 by Environment minister Yiannis Maniatis and Development minister Costis Hatzidakis, with participation by the two respective deputies Makis Papageorgiou and Notis Mitarakis.

[07] Mitsotakis stresses need for standing mobility scheme ?

Speaking on Skai radio station on Wednesday, the minister reiterated that the so-called mobility scheme concerns only redundant public staff and not the entire body of public servants. He added that only a small number of staff to be placed under the mobility scheme will eventually be laid off.

Referring to the issue relating to the future of municipal police, Mitsotakis stressed that the ministry's intention was that the entire municipal police staff be absorbed by other departments the soonest possible. He added, however, that in spite of skillful personnel, the municipal police operation was problematic.

[08] Serbian president extols Greek-Serbian relations

Nikolic told Stoidis that his country is grateful to Greece for its support in anything related to the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and also mentioned Greece's support toward Serbia's membership in the European Union. He also said that 2014 would be the centennial of the outbreak of World War I, and it was very important that Greece and Serbia, as allies, remain focused on efforts for peace and freedom against any aggression and oppression.

Serbian news agency Tanjug quoted Stoidis as saying that the anniversary is very important, and noted there will be no revision in historical events and refusal of responsibility for war events.

In an announcement by the Serbian presidency, Stoidis pointed out that during its six-month presidency of the European Union starting in January 2014, Greece would support Serbia's efforts to acquire EU membership. The statement also quoted him as saying that Greece will never recognise unilaterally the independence of Kosovo and that Serbia should have entertain no doubts about that stance.

[09] Greek Public Television's first live news programme on air

On Tuesday, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said that it will stop broadcasting online the programme produced by former state broadcaster ERT staff, as of Wednesday morning (August 21), it announced on its website.

Following the shutdown of ERT by the government in June, EBU hosted the programme by staff refusing to leave the ERT premises in the northern suburb of Aghia Paraskevi.

According to the EBU, the decision to stop was taken following reports that ERT's temporary replacement, Greek Public Television, will start broadcasting news bulletins this week.

The Union said that from June 12 until today it had carried out 8.5 million live broadcasts in 4.4 million hours, with more than 2.5 million unique users watching ERT programmes through the internet, while EBU representatives visited Greece frequently to meet with government officials and express disagreement with ERT's closure.

Former employees occupying ERT's premises called on the Union's president "not to stop the broadcasting of ERT's signal and to keep it alive through EBU's satellites, as was the case until today".

[10] Schools must not become grounds for exercising politics, gov't spokesman says

Speaking to private Mega TV channel and referring to the intention of the Secondary School Teachers Organisation (OLME) to proceed with mobilisations as of September, Kedikoglou said "the right to strike is respected. However, exercising your right cannot deprive the rights of others. You cannot deprive the right to education, you cannot keep schools closed."

The spokesman further said that "I am certain, however, that the overwhelming majority of teachers will not accept similar situations, like those we had last May, when OLME's union leadership proved once again that it is out of place and time. I repeat, I want to hope, I want to believe that the overwhelming majority of teachers will not accept an attempt at hostage situations. Because we are talking about this".

OLME is considering striking soon after the schools open on September 11.

[11] KKE party expresses grave concern over developments in Permet, Albania

KKE added that "the Albanian government has serious responsibilities for these events and must secure rights and religious freedoms immediately."

[12] Greek people must reject capitalist choices, KKE says

"The fight is between sections of the capital and of imperialistic centres relates to their own interests concerning who will gain most from the crisis in Greece," KKE said.

The Greek people have only one choice, it said, which is to "reject all those plans and turn its back to the political parties that are calling on them to rally with either of the capital's choices."

[13] Seven Turkish aircraft intercepted

"All the aircraft, two of which were armed, were intercepted and identified in accordance with international regulations, according to standard practice," the announcement added.

Financial News

[14] FinMin meets with ministers in light of troika arrival and Thessaloniki Fair

The meeting's focus was the progress by the Development Ministry on prior actions, ahead of the review by the troika of lenders in September, as well as ahead of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' address at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) early in September.

Emphasis was placed during the meeting on the issue of business rentals, which the troika wants deregulated. According to government sources, a brief discussion took place on the issue of foreclosures of homes and on the criteria to lift seizures for first homes over defaulted loans, as a decision is awaiting the outcome of Thursday's meeting between the prime minister and Government Vice President Evangelos Venizelos.

A discussion was also held on the course of the adoption of the OECD's proposals concerning the improvement of the Greek economy's competitiveness, a briefing on the ministry's initiatives regarding the reduction of the time necessary for the licensing of a business and on the state of public contracts.

[15] FinMin shuts down 14 island tax offices in consolidation move

The closures are the last of a series of stages in a plan to consolidate services that began in fulfillment of memorandum obligations by Greece to its lenders. The ministry said the original 290 offices operating in 2011 would be reduced to 120 within 2013.

The tax offices that are shutting down include those on the following islands: Andros, Egina, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kea, Limnos, Milos, Poros, Skiathos, Skopelos, Spetses, Tinos and Hydra. The tax office of Aghios Kyrikos on Ikaria island will also be shut down.

According to the ministry, some of the functions of tax services have moved online at www.taxis.net, with more functions being added gradually. The ministry's target is to gradually do away with payments through tax offices and have them done through banks instead.

[16] Travel balance records a surplus in Jan.-June

The central bank, in a report, said average spending per travel rose by 20.6 pct while tourist arrivals grew by 16.1 pct compared to the same month last year.

The report also said that the travel balance of payments in the January-June period recorded a surplus of 2.483 million euros, or an increase by 579 million euros (30.4 pct), from 1.904 million euros in the same period last year. In the six-month period, tourist arrivals were up 12.3 pct.

Travel proceeds in June increased by 20.6 pct, compared with the same month last year, reflecting a 10.6 pct rise in revenue from EU-27 and a 39 pct increase in revenue from other countries. In the January-June period, travel proceeds rose by 17.8 pct, reflecting a 36.3 pct increase in revenue non-EU countries; revenues from EU-27 countries showed an incresae of 7.7 pct. Travel proceeds from Germany rose 17.8 pct to 542 million euros, from France they rose 30.7 pct and from the UK they dropped 10.9 pct. Revenue from Russia rose by 42 pct to 341 million euros, while proceeds from the US rose 25.4 pct to 186 million euros.

Incoming tourism totalled 2,373,000 in June, up 16.1 pct from the same month last year. Arrivals from Germany dropped 5.6 pct, from France they rose 17.6 pct and from the UK they fell by 7.2 pct. Arrivals from Russia grew by 51.6 pct and from the US they doubled, by 11.27 pct. In the six-month period from January to June, incoming tourism grew 12.3 pct to a total of 5,421,000 travellers.

[17] Tax office blocks City of Thessaloniki bank accounts

The amount owed to the tax office amounts to 1.2 million euros.

Thessaloniki deputy mayor and treasurer Giorgos Arvanitis complained that the bank accounts blocked amounted to 12.5 million euros, saying that the Municipality asked for an extension to August 27 to file its objections.

Thessaloniki mayor Yiannis Boutaris will try to have the blocking lifted as he is to meet in Athens with General Secretary of Revenue Charis Theocharis.

Arvanitis assured that in spite the difficulties caused, municipal employees will be paid normally.

[18] Greek stocks gain 0.85 pct on Wednesday

The Large Cap index gained 1.27 pct, while the Mid Cap index remained largely unchanged at 0.01 pct.

Titan (4.60 pct), Coca Cola HBC (3.23 pct), Viochalco (3.05 pct), Hellenic Exchanges (2.03 pct), OTE (1.50 pct), Ellaktor (1.42 pct) and National Bank (1.41 pct) were top losers among blue chip stocks, while Jumbo (-2.22 pct), Alpha Bank (-2.20 pct) and Folli Follie (-1.40 pct) were losers.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 74 to 49, with another 24 issues unchanged.

Chatzikraniotis (24.18 pct), Attica Holdings (12.58 pct), Q&R (11.26 pct), Tzikarian (10.00 pct) and Lazaridis (10.00 pct) were top gainers, while Pairis (-25.33 pct), AXON Holdings (-20.00 pct), Hellenic Textiles (-19.80 pct), Tiletypos (-15.49 pct) and Voyiatzoglou Systems (-10.00 pct) were top losers.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Industrials: +1.33%

Commercial: -1.36%

Construction: +2.72%

Oil & Gas: +0.12%

Personal & Household: -1.81%

Raw Materials: +0.19%

Travel & Leisure: +0.40%

Technology: +0.62%

Telecoms: +1.50

Banks: +0.37%

Food & Beverages: +3.20%

Health: -0.09%

Utilities: +0.89%

Financial Services: +1.75%

The stocks with the highest turnover were OTE, Piraeus Bank, PPC and Alpha Bank.

Selected shares from the FTSE/ASE-20 index closed in euros as follows:

Alpha Bank: 0.49

Public Power Corp (PPC): 7.29

Coca Cola HBC: 20.75

Hellenic Petroleum: 7.30

National Bank of Greece: 2.88

Eurobank Properties : 7.14

OPAP: 7.19

OTE: 6.75

Titan: 14.77

[19] ADEX closing report

Volume on the Big Cap index totaled 5,579 contracts worth 8.648 million euros, with 45,785 open positions in the market.

Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 13,313 contracts worth 3.932 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Alpha Bank (4,034), followed by Piraeus Bank (1,625), National Bank (1,638), OTE (1,133), PPC (1,041), Intralot (798), Eurobank (503), GEK (417), Hellenic Petroleum (398), MIG (244), OPAP (198), Mytilineos (190), Jumbo (185), Ellaktor (183), Motor Oil (126), Eurobank Properties (117), Hellenic Exchanges (114) and Coca Cola HBC (102).

General News

[20] Athens Municipality campaign to smarten central streets

It is aimed at a systematic cleaning of the facades of all the buildings along the central streets, both private and public, as well as repairing and improving lighting, restoring illegal parking barriers and renewing pedestrian crossings.

[21] Samos island festival revives ancient women's events in honour of Hera

In the seventh annual festival, events began on August 18 with concerts at the archaeological museum and the ancient theatre of Pythagoreion, the central town, where a procession replicating the ancient tradition took place and headed to the port. This was preceded by the lighting of a torch at the ancient sanctuary of Hera and women's races from the temple to Pythagoreio.

In antiquity, the celebrations included women's foot races at night accompanied by torches, musicians, with poetry contests also held, among other religious and cultural events.

The events are wrapping up Wednesday night, a full moon night celebrated at archaeological sites throughout Greece. On Samos, the celebration under the stars will be dedicated to Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca.

The events are supported by local townships, the chamber of commerce, professional associations and the local branch of the Ephorate of antiquities.

[22] Police sweep at National Polytechnic University results in detention of six

According to police, the search of premises was carried out under a court representative following charges that undocumented migrants were using the area as living quarters and that the university's premises were being used to create explosive and incendiary devices, as well as to store material used during rallies.

The police confiscated, among other things, 160 staves, a sledgehammer, a mortar shell case, a container with flammable liquid, seven pepper spray containers, a gas mask and a balaclava, eight helmets, a Greek identity that had been reported as lost, an Israeli identity and a French driver's licence.

Police said they had turned over to university administrators the use of spaces that had been off limits by occupation for the last thirty years.

Police is continuing its investigations.

[23] Three arrested after Athens Polytechnic events

The three -foreigners- were arrested for violation of the law on weapons and one of them for violation of the law regarding foreign nationals. The remaining three Greeks held for questioning were released.

The arrested will be brought before a prosecutor on Thursday.

[24] Nine more archaeological sites and museums will celebrate the full moon of August

The sites added to the existing list include:

Lofos "Arouvigli" in the archaeological site of Ierissos; the Ancient Agora of Filippi, the archaeological museum of Thassos; the archaeological site of Kali Vryssi and of Platanias; the archaeological museums of Kavala and Igoumenitsa; the archaeological site of Elea in Souli; and the Byzantine Cultural Centre of Halkidiki "Ioustinianos" in Nea Flogita, Halkidiki.

[25] Wildfire in Pentalofo, Mesolonghi under partial control

Fire Brigade forces were still operating in late evening to fully control the blaze.

[26] Young Briton arrested for trafficking 'magic mushrooms'

Police acted on a tip-off and after a coordinated operation arrested the suspect on Tuesday when he went to collect a package from Holland from a courier bureau. In the package, police found the 5,400 ml of the illegal substance.

The suspect's mother was also arrested while police is examining the possibility more persons are involved in the case.

[27] Fire high alert issued for Thursday

The areas included on the alert are Attica prefecture, south Evia, the northeastern Evros prefecture, the Cycladic Islands, the Sporades Islands and Skyros in particular, and the northern islands of Thasos, Samothraki and Limnos.

Local authorities have also been alerted.

[28] Main road to Elafonissi beach to close on Thursday

Tourists who will want to visit Elafonissi will have to follow alternative roads indicated by police signs that will be placed on the road.

Weather forecast

[29] Cloudy, rainy on Thursday

[30] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble threatens with new ...support.

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: How many will be laid off from the 17 ministries.

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Those who will be in the reserve labour lists.

ETHNOS: Check up to the 'golden prescriptions'.

IMERISSIA: Tourism opens window of optimism.

KATHIMERINI: Doctors party with medicines at Public Health Organisation (EOPYY) expense

LOGOS: In the memorandums vortex.

NAFTEMPORIKI: Germany prepares third support package.

RIZOSPASTIS: Nobody should be left alone before the attack against the working classes.

TA NEA: Greece to ballots (but the ...German ones)

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